Into the Beginning of the End
by Quiet Chaos
Summary: A new enemy has arisen. In the coming of the final war with all that is evil, answers will be found and mysteries surrounding the origins of the armors will be revealed. My first fanfic; all reviews welcome! Chapter Five uploaded!
1. Chapter One

Into the Beginning of the End  
By Quiet Chaos  
Chapter One  
  
The scent of fall drifted in the night, its stench tainting the relaxing warmth of the summer's late hours. All remained quiet in and around the Koji mansion; its residents ignoring the smell of change in the predawn hours. Locked in deep slumber, none sensed what lurked in the night.  
Nothing stirred as it swept by, getting steadily and silently closer to the house. It moved like a wisp of smoke on a night breeze: invisible, but present to any who cared to smell.  
Noiselessly opening the locked front door, it entered the house. It paused, getting its bearings and sensing where the manor's seven occupants slept unaware. Then it moved on, ascending the stairs leading to the vulnerable bedrooms.  
The first room it passed held the snoozing Mia Koji. The next had Sage Date and Rowen Hashiba, and the one after that contained Cye Mouri and Kento Lei Fan, whose roaring snores would've concealed any sounds the intruder might have made. The last door was the one it sought.  
There he lay, Ryo Sanada. As it moved closer it could see in the moonlight that his black hair was matted and tangled on the pillow; his body lay twisted in sweat-soaked covers. Only his rhythmic gasps for breath interrupted the still night.  
So this is the one, it thought. An easy job... It laughed silently and unsheathed a blade; the soft scraping sound it created pierced the empty air like a hum of death. But Ryo did not awaken. He was lost in a dream, oblivious to the danger hovering over him. The noise instead set off a most unexpected alarm.  
An enormous white tiger leapt up over the bed, roaring with rage at the trespasser, who moved back just in time. The commotion not only awoke Ryo, but everyone else who had been asleep in the mansion.  
Wildfire stared at the intruder, his eyes fogged with sleep and his mind numb from the sudden wake up. The end of White Blaze's tail caught him lightly on the nose, snapping him into reality and bringing clarity to his mind.  
"Who are you?" he demanded while his fingers instinctively searched for his armor orb. He glared at his opponent through the darkness, waiting for an answer. Judging by the moonlight, he guessed the attacker to be female. She wore tight black leather jacket and pants. Combat boots, shin and forearm guards, black gloves, and a black mask also adorned her, protecting both her body and identity. She held a katana between herself and White Blaze.  
Other voices drifted into the tense silence that hung in the room. "What's going on?"  
"That sounded like White Blaze."  
"Did Ryo fall on him again?"  
"I thought that was Kento snoring."  
"Come on, guys, let's just check. Then we can all get back to bed."  
White Blaze roared again, urging the others to come and help. The intruder stole the moment to leap over to the door and lock it, and Ryo's hand finally found his armor orb. He quickly summoned his sub-armor and moved to his tiger's side.  
"I won't ask again! Who are you?" Instead of answering, she calmly sheathed her sword and pulled out two pistols. She aimed one at Ryo and the other at White Blaze.  
"Ryo? Are you all right?" Rowen called through the door while fumbling with the nob. "Why is his door locked?"  
Louder and impatient knocks followed, accompanied by Kento's boisterous voice. "Ryo? You up, bud?"  
BANG!  
"RYO!"  
"Kento! Break down the door!" Sage yelled.  
Several incessant crashes of flesh on wood echoed in the room where Ryo stood, unhurt, but dazed. His attacker still faced him, guns in hand, surprise in her eyes as she stared at the small dent in his left armor breast.  
Suddenly the wood gave way under Kento's weight as he charged through the door. He carried so much momentum that he couldn't stop himself as he tripped on the door shards and crashed face first on the floor, mumbling curses all the way at his sleep-induced clumsiness.  
"Ryo?" Cye called as he stumbled through the door. "You okay?" Soon everyone had found their way through the darkness and into the room, only to stop and stare at the shadowed face off. Mia, last to enter, turned on the lights.  
"Guys, look out!" Ryo yelled as the blinding artificial light exploded in the room. Suddenly more gun shots rang out, and everyone instinctively ducked, Sage threw himself protectively on top of Mia, pushing her to the safety of the ground. But the shots had not been aimed at them. Ryo was the first to look up and see his assassin running full throttle at the gun-shot glass door, the one leading to the outside balcony, and crash right through it. Once outside she hurtled herself up onto the railing and leapt into the night.  
"Hey! She's escaping!" Kento yelled as he briskly stood, shoving off a confused Cye.  
"After her!" cried Rowen.  
"Let's go, Blaze," Ryo said. White Blaze growled in response and quickly followed the scent of the assassin out the window, Ryo ran closely behind. As soon as their feet had touched the earth, they were lost in the chase. Shortly after, the rest of the Ronins followed.  
"Ryo! Wait up!" called Cye when he was outside, but Wildfire was already too far to hear.  
"Rowen, take to the air and see if you can spot them," Sage said.  
"Right." He summoned his full armor and flew above the trees.  
"See anything?" Halo asked.  
"No, nothing. It's too dark out. Wait a minute..." he paused, squinting into the distance. Suddenly his senses tingled with the familiar blast of red warmth, emanating in the distant area he was looking at. "Sage, he's summoned his armor!" the archer called down. "I see them now! They're headed for the main road!"  
"Okay, I've got a lock on Ryo now," said Sage. "Rowen, you fly over there and give him backup. The rest of us will go on foot and meet you there as soon as possible. Go!"  
"Gotcha!" With that settled, Rowen flew off as fast as he could. Ryo, please be all right, he silently prayed.  
  
Ryo ran as fast as his armor allowed, but even with the extra speed it gave, he could only catch glimpses of his quarry. What on earth is going on? he wondered. We've had four months of peace since Talpa's destruction and no contact whatsoever with the Dynasty since. Now this. He paused in his thoughts as White Blaze suddenly changed direction. I feel that the Nether World is somehow involved, but, he scowled, she doesn't act or feel like a Dynasty demon at all. Who is she?  
He skidded to a stop beside White Blaze and habitually put a hand on his sheathed sword. He glanced at his surroundings. They had run further and faster than he had first thought. They now stood in a small clearing off the side of the main road, which was over two miles from Mia's house. But there she was, standing with her guns drawn again on him and White Blaze. Behind her he could just make out the front tire of a motorcycle.  
He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. "Who are you?" he seethed.  
"Disarm."  
"What?"  
"Disarm yourself," she said slowly between measured breaths. "Or I'll kill your cat." The gun aimed at White Blaze twitched slightly, adding silent emphasis to her threat.  
"Answer me first," he said cooly, releasing his grip on the Wildfire sword. "Who are you? And why are you trying to kill me?"  
"Gee, why would an assassin try to kill someone?" She laughed sarcastically. "Could it be that someone just asked me to?"  
"Who was it?"  
"Sorry, but that's confidential," she sneered. "Now. Disarm so I can make this a quick kill." She raised the gun higher so it pointed at his head, stressing her order.  
"RYO!" A golden arrow flew out of nowhere and shot straight into the gun, melting it. The assassin tossed the ruined weapon and, at the same time, fired the other, the one aimed at White Blaze.  
"BLAZE!" Ryo screamed, his cries of anguish erupting in the night air and melding with the pained howls of his downed tiger. He ran over to his cat who lay on the ground, blood trickling down from a hole in his front leg and staining his white fur. "It's okay, Blaze," he crooned shakily as he stroked the silken head.  
White Blaze whimpered softly. That was it. Hot white anger surged into the bearer of Wildfire, flaring in his blue eyes. He grit his teeth. How dare she...  
Rowen descended from above the trees, landing protectively between the assassin and his downed companions. He held another arrow taunt in his bow and had it aimed straight at her heart.  
"Drop the gun!" he ordered. "My arrows are known for always hitting their mark, and I'm sure it'll do more than just pierce your flesh!" She reluctantly obeyed, letting the gun fall with a heavy thud to the dirt.  
Out of the corner of his eye, the archer watched his leader slowly stand. "Ryo, you okay? The others are on their way. But you just say the word, and I'll send this girl to the morgue." He pulled the arrow tighter.  
"No," Ryo said quietly.  
"What?" Rowen glanced quickly at Wildfire, searching for reason, but Ryo's eyes were shadowed by his helmet, which was glowing? Rowen continued to stare out of his peripheral vision. The armor of Wildfire was indeed glowing, more like pulsating with red light.  
"Just protect White Blaze," he said, his voice growing lower, more dangerous.  
"Ryo, I don-"  
"She's mine!" Ryo roared, charging like a blast of fire. The archer gasped at Ryo's savage rage; never had he seen such hatred and murderous anger in Wildfire. What had happened to him?  
Wildfire drew his swords in a blur, and with ferocious speed, slashed at the girl. She leapt back, dodging the blades by mere inches. The air around Ryo began to shimmer and liquify with angry heat, and she had no choice but to back away from him.  
Then Ryo rounded on her again. This time, she wasn't quick enough to dodge all of the attack, and one of the blades sliced cleanly through her mask. She had avoided a flesh wound, but the mask had caught fire from the burning blades, and she was forced to tear it off, or burn.  
All anger that had enveloped Ryo froze to a sudden stop upon seeing her face. Her hair, set free from the confines of the mask, drew around her face like a curtain of black satin, fluttering on an unseen wind. It was tied in a thick ponytail high on the back of her head. Black locks of hair, creating curled bangs, drifted quietly in front of her eyes.  
Her eyes. Piercing orbs of mismatched gold and blue flared at him in the moonlight. He staggered under their gaze, taking in the impact of the beautiful face that was throwing daggers. She turned away, releasing him from her stare, and seeking the source of noises emanating from the forest. Following her gaze, Ryo saw the other three Ronins appear.  
Cye was the first to enter the clearing. "Ryo, you all right?"  
"Who's the-" Kento was going to say "babe," but was cut off as the girl threw three marble-sized balls at them. The spheres exploded, releasing thick clouds of white smoke.  
"Hey!" Rowen choked, tears coming to his eyes as he inhaled the opaque vapor. "It's tear gas!"  
"Where is she?" Sage coughed.  
"I can't see anything!" cried Kento as he blindly swung his tetsubo through the oblivious smoke. He jumped as the sound of a motorcycle engine revving up sliced through the air. "Over there!" He started running for the noise, but had to stop when he realized that the vehicle and driver were out of reach. The assassin had fled and was beyond all reach before the tear gas had dissipated. 


	2. Chapter Two

Into the Beginning of the End  
By Quiet Chaos  
Chapter Two  
  
"Damn them!" she cursed into her bike helmet as she streaked along the winding road at break-neck speeds. Her motorcycle whined as she pushed it even faster, wishing all the way that it was fast enough to outrun the night's failure.  
The road turned sharply, but she made no move to take the bend. Instead, she drove straight off the pavement through a narrow gap in the guardrail and into the woods. The motorcycle wheels screamed as they sped over the dirt trail. After a few minutes of zigzagging between trees and expertly avoiding hidden stones, she arrived at a small house, buried deep within the forest.  
"Welcome home," she muttered as she parked the bike. The house was small, fitting for one person. On the outside it was dark brown with a few lighter tans around windows that were decorated with crisscrossing frames. A vine of ivy had latched itself onto the front porch, and was making a valiant attempt to climb to the second floor.  
Everything in and around the residence was silent, save for the girl as she released her hair, which hissed as it fell free of the helmet, and ascended the stairs. She stopped short of the last step to the doorway.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked to the air.  
"What do you think?" The response came from a dark form behind her. "I came to see if it was true. You failed?" It was said more like a statement than a question, and she inwardly winced at its truth.  
"I did." She fingered her sword, keeping her back to the speaker. "How could you already know that?"  
It laughed. "We figured you would." At this, she spun around, unsheathing her sword. In that one fluid movement, she had the blade at the form's neck, who had immediately stopped laughing.  
"You set me up," she seethed, eyeing the figure before her. It looked like a man wearing an enormous cloak to cover up his immense bulk. As a night breeze fluttered the fabric, she caught glimpses of dark metal beneath it. But his face remained in shadow.  
"In a sense." He raised his chin a little, retreating from the blade's edge. "My master knew that in your present state, you would never have succeeded."  
Master? "If he knew I'd fail, why did he bother to send me?"  
"It was a test. He wanted to see what it is you can do on your own."  
"Is he satisfied?" she asked, letting the sword fall a little.  
"Yes." He stepped back, inching out of the weapon's reach. "He's still willing to pay you for the time." He pulled out a bag and tossed it at her feet, where its contents, gold coins and precious jewels, spilt onto the wood. "And you needn't worry about the publicity of your failure." He began to panic as she scowled at his words and tightened her grip on the sword. "Remember that this whole transaction occurred between only us."  
"I don't take money from cons." Holding the blade straight at his heart, she growled, "You go and tell your 'master' that he can go find some other guinea pig to play his game." She advanced a step, and smiled as he retreated more. "I'll not work for someone who sets me up."  
"You don't have much choice," he snapped back, his fear subdued by the distance between the sword and his neck. "It is the fate of all assassins to serve those who'll pay. My master will call upon you again, and you will serve him!"  
"Ha!" She leapt off the porch and slashed off the man's left arm as he, too late, staggered backwards in surprise.  
She turned to face him as he screamed and cradled the smoking stump. Her brow furrowed in surprise, and she glanced at the severed arm. In the moonlight, she saw that it was nothing more than an empty green gauntlet, which was smoldering instead of spewing blood. The putrid stench made her wrinkle her nose in disgust. Laughter pulled her attention away from smell.  
The man stood, swaying slightly. "You will serve my master." She could hear the grin behind the words. "We'll be calling again soon." His whole body then melted into dust, leaving her glaring into the empty woods.  
  
***  
"Come to me."  
"Master? You summoned me?" He knelt in the dimly lit room before the dark shadow.  
"Report."  
"Yes." He rose, but kept his head bowed. "As expected, she failed. I suspect the tiger awoke from sensing my presence, but had to attack her first. I paid her as you ordered, but she refused the gold and took my arm instead." He held out the stump for his master's inspection.  
"No loss." His master laughed, a low rumble that echoed in the vast room. The eyes of the shadow momentarily lit with emerald green energy, and the stump was extended with a jagged silver hook. "You are a fool," he growl at the soldier who flexed the new appendage. "But I have need of you before the end. Leave."  
"Yes, my Master." The soldier faded away.  
"Jahku."  
A nether spirit, wearing dark blue robes with silver lining, materialized before the shadow. "Yes, Lord Akumara."  
"Your report, Jahku."  
"Yes, Lord." He bowed. "I have gathered ten thousand Dynasty soldiers at your request. However, there are only three warriors left who have some wit amongst the lot of them, aside from the one you just dismissed. Mostly, they are all like the weaklings who served under Talpa."  
"Bring me those three soldiers and nine Nether spirits."  
"Yes, my Lord." Jahku disappeared, and a few seconds later, reappeared with the requested company. "May I ask what you will do, Lord?" He spoke tentatively as he floated to his master's side.  
Lord Akumara scoffed. "Jahku, you fool, you should know." He rose and stepped into the light before the soldiers as Jahku cowered behind his master's immense form. Lord Akumara bore almost the exact same armor as the soldiers who bowed before him, save for a few differences: his armor was a deep, dark crimson, highlighted with gold swirls, and bore several menacing spikes upon his gauntlets and greaves. Deadly metal talons extended from each finger.  
His helmet was crowned with seven blades, which curled upwards like a gold flame. His mask was sharper than the soldiers', having defined and narrow slits for the eyes, and the empty mouth was framed with a sinister metal-fanged smile. Around his neck was a black stone, shaped like half a yin-yang, tied on with gold string.  
A large black cape flapped behind Lord Akumara as he began his spell, his eyes glowing like emeralds. Holding his palms towards the soldiers, fingers spread with the thumbs and forefingers together in a triangle, he spoke, "To each of you I bind the power of three. Spirits of nothing shall join with these empty souls to create a void of darkness and power." The Nether spirits grouped off around the soldiers. They began to circle the warriors, as Akumara continued to chant, "I am Lord Akumara! The true ruler of the Nether Realm!" They spun faster. "Everything in existence in this realm is bound to me in creation and destruction!" The spirits were nothing but blurs now, their transparent forms melting into three glowing tornados of energy.  
"Merge!" he shouted, breaking his fingers apart and flinging his arms outward. The Nether spirits' energies balled around the soldiers. Dark light crackled and flashed, and the glowing spheres faded to reveal the new warriors.  
"Now, Jahku," Lord Akumara eyed his work with pride, "we're ready for the next step."  
"Yes, Lord Akumara."  
  
***  
Kayura...  
"Anubis? Is that you?" she called out into the darkness.  
Yes, Kayura.  
"Where are you, Anubis?"  
I'm coming back, Kayura. The Ancient One is sending me back.  
"You're coming back...to life?"  
Yes. The Ancient One demands my return, for something darker, stronger, and deadlier than Talpa is stirring in the Nether World. It is imperative that I return, but we need you to bring me back.  
"Of course Anubis. Anything. Tell me what needs to be done."  
  
Kayura slowly opened her eyes, bringing herself out of her meditation and back to her palace room. "Anubis..." she whispered as she looked at the Ancient's staff that lay quiet across her lap. She stood, holding the staff at arms length to stare at the gold orb. "What did you mean, 'something darker, stronger, and deadlier?'"  
She strode out of her room, her kimono billowing around her as she headed for the ex-warlords' rooms. They would want to hear this. She would speak to them first, then the Ronin Warriors.  
She happened upon Dais's room first. "Dais?" she knocked on the door. It opened for her, and she entered. Dais was sitting on his bed, a piece of parchment spread before him.  
"What's the matter, Kayura?" he asked, not looking up from the scroll.  
"Would you please have everyone join me in the throne room? I've got something to tell everyone."  
"Oh?" he sighed, as he glanced at her with his good eye. His brow furrowed as he analyzed her stern expression. "All right," he shrugged his shoulders and rolled up the scroll.  
He closed his eye and cleared his mind as he summoned the link between the armors. He gave the lines a mental tug and found Sekhmet in the stables and Kale talking to some soldiers in the dungeon.  
What's up, Dais? Sekhmet asked as he handed the saddle he'd just used over to the stable hand.  
Kayura wants to talk to us in the throne room. Can you get Kale on your way up?  
All right, we'll be there in a few. The snake lord sighed and stretched. What could that girl want now? he grumbled in his mind as he left the stables. He spotted the former warlord with a group of soldiers. He walked up just as their conversation ended. "Kale!"  
"Yeah, I heard," the blue-haired man answered the unspoken question. "Let's go."  
"What were you talking with those soldiers about?" Sekhmet asked as soon as he'd matched strides with his companion.  
"There's a rumor going around about a new division whose purpose is to invade and conquer the mortal realm."  
Sekhmet laughed. "You're kidding." His smile diminished upon seeing Kale's still serious face. "Even if such a division was being formed, why would the soldiers join? Lady Kayura had a talk with everyone in the city. There's no reason to join."  
"I'm not sure either, Sekhmet," he sighed. "All I could do was ask those soldiers to notify me if they are approached by the recruiters ."  
"That seems like the best approach. We can tell Kayura at this meeting of hers." They found their way into throne room and settled themselves down at the heavy oak table. Dais sat placidly reading another scroll, not bothering to greet their arrival.  
"Where's Kayura?" Kale asked.  
"Getting ready I suppose," Dais languidly replied.  
Sekhmet smirked at his comrade's apathetic attitude. Suddenly he leapt across the table top and snatched the scroll away from the illusionist. "What could this scroll possibly be about that could captivate our dear Dais so?" he mocked over the one-eyed warrior's protests. Sekhmet tossed the parchment to Kale just before Dais managed to lock the green head beneath his arm.  
"Demon History," Kale read aloud. "Why on earth would you read such a fictitious piece of nonsense?"  
"Because I asked him to," Kayura answered as she strode into the room. She eyed the struggle between Dais and Sekhmet with a silent command to stop before she took her seat at the head of the table. They succumbed to her order, but continued to glare at one another across the table.  
"First off," she began, "Anubis will be coming back."  
"WHAT?"  
"You all heard me. The Ancient One is sending him back to us. Apparently, something is coming that is so powerful and evil that we'll be needing all the help we can get."  
"Whatever this something is," Kale interrupted, "it still needs the help of the Nether Realm's inhabitants."  
"What do you mean?" Kayura asked.  
"Rumors have been spreading throughout the city of a new army for the conquest of the Mortal Realm," Sekhmet answered her.  
"But I had addressed the soldiers long ago; they know that they haven't the power to conquer the Mortal Realm, so there is no reason for them to join. What is the bribe?"  
"We don't have that information just yet," Kale said. "I've taken the liberty of asking soldiers to inform me if they are approached by those recruiting."  
"Yes," Kayura sighed aloud, "That seems like the only thing we can do for now. I don't like being in these situations where we're trying to win against an enemy in a game where we can't even see the playing board." She slouched tiredly in her chair.  
Suddenly Dais jumped up from his seat, parchment gripped tightly in hand. With a quick smirk at Kayura, he raced out of the room. "I think I've finally found something!" he called over his shoulder before disappearing.  
"What was that all about?" Sekhmet said as he watched the white head vanish.  
"Tell us, Kayura, just what were you having Dais research in those old scrolls?"  
"Well, Kale, ever since I received the staff of the Ancients, I've been feeling uneasy. The feeling worsened when we returned to the Nether Realm, and so I've been wondering what's been making me feel so strange." She leaned forward as though she were going to whisper a secret. "I think there's something here, older than Talpa, and much more powerful."  
Sekhmet scoffed. "How can you even fathom such a thing? If something so powerful did exist, why would it reveal itself now?"  
"I have no idea," she tossed her arms up in defeat. "That's why I've been having Dais researching Dynasty history. Our existence here is but a blink in the eye of time. I'm sure the Nether Realm existed far beyond the era of Talpa."  
Dais then entered with an armload of scrolls. "Kayura," he said, "you're not going to believe what I've found." 


	3. Chapter Three

Into the Beginning of the End  
By Quiet Chaos  
Chapter Three A/N- ~ Thanks for the reviews. Hopefully I'll be getting to 'the good stuff soon. Oh yeah, apparently ff.net doesn't see italics, so thoughts are placed within single quotation marks. Enjoy! ~  
  
"There you go, White Blaze," Mia said triumphantly as she snipped off the excess bandage. "That should heal in no time." The Siberian tiger purred and licked her hand in a show of gratitude. She smiled at the oversized house cat and put away the first aid supplies.  
Ryo was leaning against the cabin window, quietly watching Mia work, but his mind was elsewhere. Rowen stood on the opposite side of the cabin, also lost in his own thoughts. The other Ronins were up at the house, choosing breakfast over cramming themselves into the lakeside cabin. Mia stood, ready to leave.  
"Ryo?" She gazed into his unfocused blue eyes. He jumped at the sight of her face so close to his.  
"What, Mia?" he said a little more irritably than he meant to. He winced inwardly at the pained look that crossed her face. He didn't mean to act so cranky to his friends.  
"White Blaze will be fine. That bullet missed the bone and major arteries so it's nothing more than a flesh wound." She glanced at the tiger. "You shouldn't worry so much." Ryo simply nodded so Mia took her leave.  
As soon as she was gone, Wildfire sank down beside White Blaze, gently stroking the silky fur. He smiled as the tiger contentedly purred, then frowned when Rowen cleared his throat. "Now what, Rowen?"  
"About last night..." he began tentatively.  
"We already talked about it on the way back here." Ryo sighed annoyingly. "That girl is an assassin and is after me." He looked Strata straight in the eye. "What more is there to talk about?"  
"I'm not talking about the girl," Rowen said plainly. "I'm more concerned about you." Ryo raised his eyebrow. "When White Blaze was shot, you looked madder than I've ever seen you before. Madder than when he'd died." Ryo turned away from him; his bangs covered his blue eyes. When he didn't say anything, Rowen cautiously continued on. "It seemed like your armor reacted to your anger too. It was glowing, and the air around you was boiling."  
Ryo let out another tired sigh and nuzzled his face into White Blaze's fur. "I don't know what happened, Rowen. Something about her just pissed me off." He closed his eyes, not wanting to hear Strata's reaction.  
"Well I don't think she's one to miss," he said noting Wildfire's shortening temper. "I'm gonna head up to the house for breakfast." He started for the door. "You coming?"  
Silence.  
"Ryo?" He turned back around to see Wildfire slumped on top of White Blaze. Concerned, he ventured closer. White Blaze watched the blue-haired youth with his quiet brown eyes. Rowen relaxed when he saw that his leader had slipped into slumber. Strata shrugged and left.  
'Something's up with Ryo,' he thought to himself as he made his way to the mansion. 'I wonder if the others have noticed it too.' His stomach took the moment to complain about not being fed as he opened the front door. He grumbled to himself about the early morning wake up when he walked into Sage.  
"Where's Ryo?" the blonde asked after Rowen had mumbled a quick apology.  
"Oh, he's sleeping over in the cabin with White Blaze." He yawned, "I think I'll follow his lead after some breakfast."  
"Cye managed to save you something, but you owe him for keeping Kento off of it." Sage smirked and went into the living room where Kento sat in front of the television, playing another video game. He watched uninterested as he waited for Cye and Rowen to join them.  
"Aaah! No!" The controller went flying into the air. "Not again!" Kento moaned; he scratched the back of his head in frustration. Sage grinned at his friend's antics. Cye and Rowen entered, eying Kento who now lay flat on the floor like a corpse.  
"Everything all right here?" Cye asked while taking a seat next to Sage.  
Kento abruptly sat up and lamely pointed at the television set, which was flashing 'Loser' across the screen. Rowen smiled and sat in the armchair with his plate of pancakes. Kento finally snapped out of his trance and asked: "Where's our fearless leader at?"  
"He's over in the cabin with White Blaze, sleeping," Sage answered.  
"Oh," Kento nodded.  
Rowen swallowed the last of his pancakes with a huge gulp, before wondering aloud: "Has anyone else noticed that Ryo's been acting a little weird lately?"  
"Kind of," Cye said quietly. "Why do you ask?"  
"I don't know," Rowen sighed, leaning back into the comfy armchair. "He just seems to be...different."  
"I've noticed it too," Sage chirped in. "But I'm sure Ryo will tell us if he feels he should."  
"What makes you think that?" Mia asked when she walked into the room. She plopped herself down beside Sage. "We've seen it before that he keeps things to himself, things that he shouldn't bear alone." An uneasy silence filled the room as everyone acknowledged Wildfire's habitual guilt-trips and secret keeping.  
"There's nothing we can really do about it," Cye said, breaking the tense silence. "If we confront him, he'll just hide it or not tell us the whole truth. We can't force anything out of him."  
"Yeah, he's too stubborn," Kento suddenly said with a smirk.  
"The best thing we can do is give him space and time," said Sage. "He'll come around when he's ready."  
  
***  
It was cold, so cold that it burned. His blood was on fire, burning away at the frozen flesh that had once confined it. Now the crimson liquid was running wild and free, seeping out of war scars and staining the white armor a sickening mud-red color.  
He was alone on this side of the battlefield. His army had smashed into the demons with all it had to offer, but by the time the sun had set, the two great sides had succeeded in only obliterating one another. All that remained was a corpse littered field and the demon emperor himself: Talpa.  
"So, my foolish opponent," rang the demon's voice. The soulless armor began to make its way across the field towards the wounded warrior. "How does it feel to lose against me?"  
He gripped the Ferver Swords harder in an effort to steady himself. He could feel life leaving him with every heartbeat. Talpa laughed. "Do you know how pitiful you look?" he taunted. "I bet you're wondering how I bested you and your Inferno with my lesser armor." He was swinging his spear now, letting the blade twirl before his audience, who was only partly listening.  
'I can't beat him in my condition, no matter how long he talks,' the warrior thought as he watched the spear swinging like a pendulum. 'Talpa will want this armor for its power, but I mustn't let him have it.'  
"Well," the demon lord boasted, "you can thank all those who you fought to protect for granting me so much power." The warrior looked up at this. Talpa's smile was obvious even though his physical mouth had disintegrated long ago. "Yes, they gave me this power; it was their fear, their hatred; their humanity that fed the sleeping armor, and then it was sent down the lineage to mine."  
The warrior's knees gave out, and he sank to the ground. 'Concentrate!' he yelled at himself. Very soon he'd be ready, 'Please let him ramble on a little longer.'  
"Do not worry too much. Now that I have the Inferno armor, I'll have no need of your precious humans. With that armor I'll be greater that the gods!" The demon's eyes glowed a horrible red in his excitement. "Give it to me!"  
"You can have the armor!" he yelled back; angry adrenaline surged through his body allowing him to stand one last time. "But you will never have its power!" He threw the Ferver Swords high into the air where they melted together into a flaming bird. It shimmered for a moment in the sky before bolting away.  
"Damn you!" Talpa roared and charged. The warrior didn't resist at all as the spear was thrust through his chest, piercing the white breastplate and shattering the true blue heart. "Give me the armor!"  
The warrior smiled. The white helmet slowly dissolved into sparks of energy, which floated above the battle. "This armor follows its virtue, Talpa. Though I die, my spirit will always be with it, and you shall never touch its power." The rest of the armor dissolved, leaving the dead warrior bare. The energy formed itself into one mass before launching itself into Talpa's chest.  
As the light faded, only the demon lord remained. He kicked the corpse that was still propped up by his spear. "Damn you, Hariel. I will unseal and command the power of the Inferno."  
***  
Ryo snapped awake, the last words ringing through his head. He rubbed his eyes and pushed himself off of White Blaze's warm belly fur. 'That dream again.' He groaned when pins and needles ran up and down his legs, but he tried to ignore it. His chest was bothering him the most, but the pain residing there was rapidly vanishing.  
'Was it just a dream?' he wondered. 'Or was it something else. A memory perhaps?' He gazed thoughtfully out the cabin window to the lake. 'Why now? Why do I dream of memories that aren't mine?' He sighed deeply. In the dream, he hadn't been Hariel. He'd felt more like he had been the armor itself, especially when it had lifted away from the warrior.  
He ran a hand through his tousled black hair. The scenic view of the lake helped to calm him down a little. It was picture perfect: the lake was sparkling gold beneath a flaming sky.  
Wildfire jumped to attention. "What time is it?" he desperately asked, but no one answered. 'Did I really sleep that long?' He ran out of the cabin towards the mansion. White Blaze lazily hobbled behind him.  
He skidded through the door, hoping to find everyone in the living room waiting for him. But no one was there. He sighed heavily. 'You baka!' he thought angrily at himself. He meandered into the kitchen and found a solitary plate with a sandwich on it. Beside it was a note. He slumped into the chair and read the letter:  
'Good afternoon, sleepyhead! We got tired of waiting for you, so we went downtown to get our school supplies. Don't worry; we'll get you your stuff too. Saved you a sandwich to hold you over until we get back for dinner. We left Cye behind to watch your back. If you don't see him right away, he said he'd be upstairs, cleaning. Later!'  
Ryo sighed, glad to know that the house wasn't as empty as he had first thought. As if on cue, Cye called to him from the stairs. "Ryo? Is that you?"  
"Yeah, I'm here, Cye," he yelled back.  
"Good. Can you bring up the vacuum? We should clean up your room."  
Ryo groaned. He'd forgotten about the mess leftover in his room: the broken door, the shattered glass, and the unmade bed. He sighed one last time, smirking at the realization that he'd been sighing quite a bit lately, before getting up to help Cye.  
Apparently, with the messy room, school, and the assassin topping the list of things to worry about, this week wasn't going to be the best he'd ever have. 


	4. Chapter Four

Into the Beginning of the End  
By Quiet Chaos  
Chapter Four  
  
The scrolls avalanched onto the table. Kayura, Kale, and Sekhmet stared in awe at the mountain of paper that blanketed the oak slate. "Sorry," Dais mumbled quickly before diving into the mound in search of something. He grumbled as other scrolls cascaded to the floor, spreading the chaos. "Aha!" he finally cried, triumphantly he freed himself from the jumble with a select few, wrinkled and worn-down, scrolls. He spread them out for everyone to see.  
But before they could gather around him, the rings of the Ancient's staff began to chime and shimmer brightly. "What?" Kayura gasped as it lifted itself upright. The light crawled up to the orb where it blazed with power. For a moment, it compressed the energy until it almost was a solid ball of light.  
Then it released the power in a blast of flaming golden light, blinding everyone in the room. After a few moments the chimes stilled, and slowly everyone's eyes adjusted back to normal.  
"Anubis!" Kayura cried when she saw her predecessor standing before her. She ran over and embraced him in a hug.  
"Welcome back." The other former warlords followed her to Anubis.  
"Kale, Sekhmet, Dais," Anubis nodded to each in turn.  
"The Ancient One has good timing," Dais said, waving the scrolls in front of his comrade's face.  
Anubis smiled back. "Shall we get to it then?" he asked, glancing down at Kayura, who had finally released him. "What have you got for us, Dais?" The illusionist carefully unfurled the first scroll and laid it outstretched for everyone to see. "I know that image!" Anubis cried. "I saw it in the temple of the Jewel of Life!"  
On the scroll was a rendition of the Armor of Inferno surrounded by the nine armors of the Ronin warriors and warlords. The swords of Ferver were on the armor's right, and the red Jewel of Life was on the left. "So? What's this all about?" Sekhmet asked.  
"Well," Dais began slowly, "we all know of the armor's virtues, right?" Everyone nodded, and he continued. "And if I were to do this," he waved his hand over the paper and used the power of his armor to change the image. Where each armor had been, now resided the symbols of their virtues. "You all still know who is who."  
"Yes. Go on," Kale encouraged.  
Dais let the spell fade as he pulled out another scroll. "Well, I found this." The second parchment was in worse condition than the first, but the images could just be made out. It was covered with kanji that were aligned like the first scroll had shown under Dais' spell. "What is this?" Kayura asked, looking the scroll over. "These kanji are poorly written. I can't read them."  
"I think that these kanji represent another set of armors." Dais sighed, "That is if these two scrolls were made with the same theme in mind."  
"But from what you showed us with the first scroll, that would makes sense." Anubis turned the scrolls towards him. "Wait! What's this here?" he exclaimed, as he pointed to the right side of the central kanji.  
On the kanji's left was the black half of a yin-yang. Where the weapon should have been on the right was nothing but a smear. "I couldn't find anything on that, but this other parchment did mention something about this second set of armors." Dais pulled out the final parchment.  
It was a lengthy scroll, but the Warlord of Illusions knew where he was going. "This section here." He placed it before everyone to read to themselves, but they screwed up their faces in confusion instead.  
"Dais," Sekhmet whined, "what is this scribble? We can't read this nonsense."  
"What do you mean you can't read it?" Dais admonished. "Didn't Talpa ever teach you the ancient language in all the time you served him?" Shameful silence rang through the room. "None of you?"  
"I learned a little," Anubis admitted. "But Talpa never taught me enough to read these old texts. Only enough to announce new laws to the city."  
Dais let out a long sigh. "Fine." He picked up the scroll. "I'll read it."  
"I think not."  
"Who's there?" Kayura demanded, swinging around with the staff ready.  
"I am the lord of this realm. Akumara." He stepped into the light, revealing his immense and heavily armored form. "I believe you are intruding in my throne room."  
"But, how did-" Kayura stammered as Dynasty soldiers in dark grey armor encircled the table. "What-"  
"How did you get here?" Anubis demanded for Kayura. 'Why didn't the Ancient's staff warn us?' he thought.  
"I've been here since the dawn of time." Lord Akumara's eyes sparked when he caught Anubis glancing at the Ancient staff. He gazed at Kayura for a moment, "I recognize your blood, girl." Kayura stared at the demon. "You come from the guardian clan of the Mortal Realm." He laughed. "No doubt you wonder why your precious ancestors' staff failed you." He stepped closer, and the circle of soldiers closed in. The warriors now stood back-to-back; Dais clutched the precious scrolls to his chest. "You forget, child, that this is the Nether Realm and that the power of the Mortal Realm is limited here."  
"Stay back!" she warned, aiming the staff's sphere at the demon lord. It glowed a ferocious gold in warning. She willed it to shoot at Akumara. It didn't. Instead the sphere of light grew larger and larger, until it engulfed Kayura and the warlords in a bubble of gold.  
"No!" Akumara roared. Angry emerald rays of light shot out from his eyes, but the sphere dissolved away, leaving nothing but air for the deadly rays to blast through. Jahku appeared at the demon lord's side.  
"Master?"  
Lord Akumara laughed deeply. "Perfect. Very soon everything will fall into place. The field is ready for play. Only one piece remains."  
***  
"ROWEN!!! Get your butt out of bed! We're gonna be late!" Cye hollered up the stairs. Torrent's shouts were rewarded with a heavy thud and some muffled curses. He smiled when he heard them and meandered back into the kitchen. Everyone was relaxing around the table, eating breakfast.  
"Slow down there, Kento," Cye playfully scolded when he saw Hardrock choke on a mouthful of pancakes.  
"Were you able to get Rowen up?" Sage asked over his cup of tea. Kento gulped loudly, earning a smirk from the blonde.  
"More or less," Cye answered, taking a seat. The archer's heavy footsteps could be heard thumping down the stairs. Soon after the blue head was at the table, slouched sleepily in a chair.  
Sage grinned at his sleepy roommate. "Morning sunshine." He got an unfocused glare that promised pain later.  
"Why'd you wake me up, Cye?" Rowen grumbled as he began to munch on his plate of pancakes. "It's still early. We're not late yet."  
"No, not yet, but if you hadn't gotten up just now, we would be. Besides," he smiled, "if you are so tired, then you can nap in the car."  
"I'm ready to leave when you guys are," Mia announced as she put her dishes in the sink. "Remember that I'll drive you to the high school, but I work long after you guys get out. You'll have to find your own ways back."  
"That's fine, Mia," Sage said. "We can probably take the bus."  
"Well," Kento suddenly said, "I can probably stop off at home later this afternoon and pick up my van. Then we wouldn't have to carpool too much to school nor would we have to rely on public transportation."  
"Yeah, but then we'd have to rely on your junky van," Cye joked.  
"Junky? Ha! At least I've got a car! See if I give you a ride next time you need one!" Kento headed out of the room with his nose high in the air. Torrent let out a tired sigh at his friend's antics before following him.  
"Let's get this day started and done with," Ryo sighed before grabbing his bag and heading out. Sage and a sleepy Rowen followed after him. "White Blaze," Wildfire stopped at the door where the tiger sat, "watch over the house for us." The Siberian purred in understanding and watched the warriors leave.  
"Hey! I called shotgun!" Sage yelled.  
"But I'm bigger than all of you! I need the extra room!" came Kento's voice.  
White Blaze huffed and swatted the door closed. Ryo smiled at his pet's intelligence before squeezing himself next to Cye. Sage crawled in beside him, then Kento pushed the passenger seat back and hopped in.  
"Everyone in?" Mia asked as she started the car. "Everyone comfortable?"  
"Like sardines," Sage replied, annoyed.  
"Can we go now?" Kento whined. Mia only smiled before sending the jeep and all its occupants on their way to the first day of school.  
***  
The gold sphere dissolved away, dropping its occupants with the grace of a sack of potatoes. The warriors lay dazed and sprawled out on the grassy ground. Anubis sat up, rubbing his head in an effort to stop the world from spinning. "Ow..."  
"What happened?" Kayura groaned behind him.  
"Whoever owns the foot that's on my head better move it before they lose it," Dais hissed. Kale quickly picked his foot off of the white head and grumbled a quick apology.  
"Where are we?" Sekhmet asked as he looked at their surroundings.  
"I think we're near Mia's house," Anubis announced as he stood. They had landed at the edge of the forest, near the shore of the lake. The smell of moist soil, dried leaves, and cool wind floated in the air around them. The lake shimmered calmly in the late morning sunlight. "The Ancient must think we'll be safer here." He glanced at Kayura and the staff.  
"Let's go see if they're home then," she sighed. "I hate to drop in uninvited, though."  
"Do you think they're home?" Dais stretched and carefully picked up his scrolls. They started walking for the house. "If they are, then at least I don't have to explain things twice."  
***  
Mia's jeep screeched to a halt in front of the mansion. 'Of all the times to forget my papers!' she mentally kicked herself as she ran to the door. Luckily Sage had reminded her after she'd dropped them off. She fumbled with her keys, dropping them in her haste.  
"Mia."  
She jumped up, startled by the voice. Behind her stood the whole group of ex-warlords, lead by Kayura, who smiled kindly. "Kayura?" she stammered. "Anubis!" She'd practically shouted upon seeing the late Warlord of Cruelty standing in the crowd. "What are you all doing here?"  
"The Ancient sent us. May we come in? We've got a lot to talk about," Anubis said with a smile.  
Mia glanced at her watch and sighed. It looked like she'd miss a day of work no matter what. "Sure, let me make a few phone calls first."  
  
A/N- ~Mwahahahahahaha, another chapter at last. Hope you guys like how it's going. More stuff to come, I hope. 


	5. Chapter Five

Into the Beginning of the End  
By Quiet Chaos  
Chapter Five  
  
The school lawn lay littered with crowds of students, mingling in separate groups like drunkards beneath the morning haze and white wine sunlight. This was the first day ritual of Han'a High School--a ritual too familiar to the senior class. It was nothing more than the school's failing attempt to ease students back into the strict routine of early morning wake-ups and late night study-groups. But most students enjoyed the moment well enough. A brief hush would blanket the crowd as new waves of students came upon the campus, their eyes eagerly searching for familiar faces.  
This was the scene that the Ronins walked into. They stopped beneath a cherry blossom tree to wait for the bell. Kento stretched loudly and groaned as a few bones cracked. "Next time I get the front seat," he exasperated before slumping down at the base of the tree. "Mia's back seat is too small for four people."  
Rowen peacefully snoozed beside him, oblivious to the complaints. Sage stood on the other side of the tree in an effort to hide from any mob of girls that might pass by. Ryo and Cye stood on either side him like bodyguards.  
They waited silently, enjoying each other's company while basking in the calm. Then the shrill ringing of the bell shattered the quiet, and the mass of students began to filter into the school doors. The principal and a few other teachers stood around the entrance, shouting: "Students, please head to the auditorium. Freshmen follow the general flow of the upperclassmen."  
The Ronins and other groups of seniors waited patiently for the rush to go by. They watched a few late students get dropped off and make a mad dash into the stampede.  
"Shall we?" Ryo asked when the flood had slowed to a trickle. He picked up his bag as Kento pushed Rowen up, but then something caught his eye. He stood straight, staring out towards the street.  
Walking slowly down the entryway was a girl, wearing a long red trench coat, heavy boots and white pants. A backpack was lazily slung over one shoulder and swayed gently with each stride. Her hair was raven black, pulled into a thick ponytail and leaving only a few locks of hair to dangle before her eyes, which were also shaded with sunglasses.  
"Ryo, what's the matter?" Cye asked when he saw his friend not moving for the school. Torrent, and everyone else, turned to see what Wildfire was staring at.  
Kento's mouth gaped open. "That's the...Isn't she..." He frantically pointed at her as he stuttered. His fist clenched as he pulled together his composure. Then he stepped forward to engage her, but two sets of hands grabbed hold of him. "Hey!"  
'Wait, Kento,' Sage thought to him along the armor bond. 'Remember where we are, and who else is here.' He eyed the principal who was coming down the steps towards the girl. Cye's hands also gently grasped Kento's shoulders. With a nod from Torrent, Hardrock relaxed, but continued to glare at the girl as she drew ever closer.  
She strode by them without a glance or any hint of acknowledgment. The principal was beside her now and had placed a guiding hand on her shoulder. After a quick exchange of words, they ascended the school steps. The principal stopped and turned around, but pushed her on. "Seniors," he sternly called out to the leftover crowd. "Come along now before you're all late." Then he hurried up the last steps into the school.  
"What's she doing here?!" Kento nearly shouted as soon as the principal was gone. He tossed his bag roughly over his shoulder in frustration.  
"Do you think she might still be after you, Ryo?" Sage asked, matching strides with the red Ronin in the final wave of students.  
"I don't know. But you can be sure I'll find out today," Ryo sighed.  
"And we'll be right there with you to pound the answers out of her!" Kento said, slapping Ryo heartily in the back.  
Wildfire remained quiet as they found some empty spots within the stadium seating of the auditorium. They could see the stage clearly: the principal stood in the center behind the podium, and a thin line of new students stretched behind him.  
The older man cleared his throat and began the morning speech. "Welcome new and returning students to Han'a High School. I trust this will be another exceptional year for everyone."  
"Does he have to repeat himself every year with the same exact speech?" whispered Kento. Cye grinned at him, but continued to watch the principal. The man was now going down the line of students, introducing them as foreign exchanges or transfers. A distinct hush fell over the crowd as he reached the end of the line, where the girl calmly sat; she had removed her sunglasses, but her eyes remained closed, as if she were sleeping or just didn't care.  
"And joining the senior class as this year's only senior transfer student is Kurari Shiroi." The principal gestured towards her, not even bothering to see if she acknowledged his introduction. She didn't move.  
"Kurari is it then," Sage muttered quietly.  
Rowen had finally perked up. "When do you think we can confront her?"  
"Lunch," Ryo whispered. "Our entire class has the same lunchtime. We'll get a hold of her then."  
"Right," Kento agreed.  
"Where should we meet?" Cye asked.  
"Beneath the sakura tree right after class. Then we'll search for her." The assembly ended, and students began to mob the exits. "See you guys later!" Ryo called as the rush swept him up.  
"See ya!"  
"Later!"  
"Bye guys!"  
"Bye!"  
***  
The ticking of the clock was agonizingly slow and loud in the quiet room. The only competition of noise was the dull, monotone voice of the professor and the scratching of chalk on the blackboard. In his boredom, Ryo began to unconsciously tap his pencil to the clock's steady ticks. 'Ten minutes until lunch,' he inwardly groaned, letting his head droop closer to the desktop.  
Suddenly he jerked forward, as if he'd been jabbed by a needle. The professor eyed him curiously, but continued on with the lecture. 'What the hell was that?' he thought, glancing around the room. After seeing nothing amiss in the general vicinity, he decided to check on the armors. He watched the professor for a moment, making sure the old man was lost in the sound of his own voice, before letting his mind drift inward. To be on the safe side, he let his eyes stay open but unfocused upon the blackboard.  
In his mind, he could see the four armor threads that connected to Wildfire glowing with their individual colors. He gently fingered each thread, checking the bonds and testing the other side for any odd signs. He could feel each of his companions on the other end perk up a little as he plucked the threads, but calmed their curiosity with a quick wave of reassurance.  
After finding nothing amiss with his friends, he moved on. What surprised him was that he found four new strings coming out of his mind. They were faint, but growing in intensity and becoming more tightly bound to him. He paused, checking again on the professor, before giving all four strings a hard yank.  
Four voices mentally shrieked with surprise at the sudden jerk. Ryo nearly jumped out of his set as the new set of voices separated themselves to speak with him. Along the golden thread came Anubis's voice: 'Ah, hello there Wildfire.'  
'Anubis?' he thought back. He felt the chuckle at the other end, and realized the myriad of emotions that had been sent along with that one word of acknowledgment.  
The dark green thread spoke up next. 'We're all here.' That was Sekhmet.  
'What do you mean 'you're all here'?'  
'Kayura brought us to the Mortal Realm in order to join forces with everyone,' came Kale's voice. His line was murky blue, much darker than Rowen's.  
'We're all at the mansion right now,' Dais said, his pink line quivered as he spoke. 'We'll talk when everyone returns here. There's a lot to discuss.'  
'Uh...sure...' Ryo ended the transmission. He'd been caught off guard by the Warlords' stronger presences in his mind, and couldn't quite think straight as he brought himself back to the lecture. Luckily, the teacher had been oblivious to his mind's absence and was now writing down the homework. The bell rang soon after, and class was out for lunch.  
After jotting down the assignment and fumbling with his bag, Ryo made his way into the rush. A flash of red caught his eye just as he stepped into the hallway. Glancing over the heads of students, he caught sight of Kurari a few paces away. She was leaning against the wall, as though she was waiting for something. He started to move through the crowd towards her.  
As soon as he'd taken two steps, she stood and began to move though the rush of students. He tried to walk faster, but the flow of students going in the other direction kept him from catching up. He suddenly realized that she was leading him, holding him at a distance until they reached wherever she was taking him. When she stopped at a water fountain, he suddenly realized that he was at his locker. He smirked, marveling for a moment at her skill as he tossed his belongings into the metal box. As soon as he'd locked the door, she was moving again, so he hustled to catch up.  
For a brief moment he lost sight of her in the crowd, but after jostling a few freshmen out of his way, he caught glimpse of her coat as it passed out of sight into an enclosed stairwell. He managed to get into the deserted shaft, and listened to her footsteps echo in the emptiness. She was taking slow, rhythmic steps, neither hurried nor tired, but lazy. He charged up the steps, taking two or three at a time, but she seemed to remain just out of sight, and only her footsteps to haunt the hall and urge him on.  
The stairwell was deserted because it went straight to the roof. There were no doors to the second level, nor the basement. It existed only for access to the highest level. Normally, students weren't allowed atop the school, but the rules had been bent for the good weather and good behavior of the student population.  
The clanging of the metal door echoed in the well, letting him know she was now outside. Taking a deep breath, he ran up the last few steps and charged through the door. The bright noonday light glared in his eyes for a moment, and he prepared to be ambushed in his vulnerability, but nothing came. His eyes adjusted, and he saw her standing across the roof from him, leaning casually against the chain-link perimeter fence.  
He walked slowly towards her, his senses alert for any sign of aggression; he was treating the encounter as if he was meeting a snake. She opened her eyes, and the brightest emerald green color he'd ever seen flashed before him.  
***  
"Where is he?" Rowen moaned as he leaned against the trunk of the cherry tree. He let himself slide down the bark into a slump beside Kento and Cye.  
"He probably got held up by the teacher." Cye took a thoughtful bite of his sandwich. "Hey! Kento! That's mine!" he yelled when he saw his snack moving away from him. He snatched hold of Kento's wrist and twisted.  
"Aw, but it taste better than what I've got." He obediently dropped the brownie, but turned away to pout.  
"Flattery will get you nowhere with me; you should know that by now." Cye took a devilishly large bite out of the chocolate square, grinning at Kento's childish antics. "Don't give me those puppy-dog eyes," he mockingly whined. "Aw, here." He pulled another brownie out of his lunch box and tossed it to the larger boy. "I knew you'd want one."  
"Thanks, man; you're the best."  
"I'm going to go look for them," Sage suddenly said.  
"Give it another minute," Rowen yawned. "If Ryo was in trouble, we'd feel it through the link."  
"But wouldn't he also tell us if he'd be late through the link?" Halo kicked a stone in frustration.  
"Not if he was stuck talking to a teacher." Kento leaned back against the tree, his stomach satisfied for the moment.  
"I'm still going to go look. It was odd enough for him to check on us during class, and now that he's late and isn't even contacting us..." Another stone went whizzing though the air. "I think something's up. And I'm not going to just go looking for Ryo. I'm going to look for that girl too."  
"All right," Rowen stood, throwing his arms up in defeat. "You've made your point; we'll all go. Cye, Kento, you two go check the second floor; Sage and I will check the first. We'll keep the link open and give a holler if you find either of them."  
***  
All he could do was stand and stare at her as she stood, scrutinizing him. A light breeze picked up, gently stirring her hair and flapping the red trench coat so it looked like a breathing sea of blood.  
"You were the one who attacked me, weren't you?"  
She nodded.  
"Why?"  
Instead of answering, she pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Her silence was irritating him, but he still waited for her to suck in and spit out the foul black smoke. All the while she continued to stare at him.  
"I already told you why," she finally said, the smoke curling around her. It stank, and it reminded him of the way Dynasty soldiers excreted smoke when he'd slashed them. "When you first asked me that night, remember?" She sighed. "You'll get the same answers I gave you then if you ask the same questions now."  
He scowled at her, realizing he wouldn't get anywhere like this. "Why are your eyes green?" His question surprised him as much as it did her.  
"Contacts." She took another breath from the cigarette, sucking away at the flickering stub of ash. "How's your cat?"  
Ryo stared at her a little harder. Was she actually trying to be nice? Or was this just a way of avoiding the assassination attempt. "Better. You only gave him a flesh wound."  
"I'm glad." The spent cigarette fell to the floor, and she snuffed the remaining sparks with her boot. Then, slowly, she walked the distance between them. He stood frozen to the spot, waiting for her to stop at arms length, but she kept coming and only stopped when she was partly pressed up against him.  
They now stood, facing each other, with his right side pressed against hers. They were too close for combat, and even if either one of them started to move in aggression, the other could feel it. She breathed into his ear, and he waited. "Your life's been paid for. I'm here for myself."  
"That's not good enough for me," he whispered, feeling oddly calmer. "I need answers." Her hair smelled faintly of smoke but also of sweet soap. Her pale skin felt colder than ice as it rested against his cheek. It was strange the way she felt against him.  
She sighed. "Then we'll talk again later." She sidestepped around him, heading for the door. "Your friends are waiting for you."  
It was after the door clanged shut that he realized she was gone. He pressed a hand against his cheek, where hers had been moments ago. His whole right side felt numb, even though it was a warm fall day.  
***  
"Well, we've checked almost everywhere on this floor, and still no sign of either of them." Rowen peered up and down the empty hallway.  
"'Almost' is the key word, Rowen," Sage smirked. Rowen cocked an eyebrow as the blonde motioned towards the restrooms.  
"Oh no. I'm not going into the girl's bathroom."  
Sage only smiled. "I wasn't thinking that. But you could check the men's room."  
"What about the other one? Do you think she'd really be hiding in there?" He started towards the bathroom.  
"I'll ask one of the girl's here to check for me, that's all."  
"What were you going to ask me Sage-chan?" a sweet voice interrupted. Sage turned to see a girl wearing a schoolgirl uniform with brown hair tied in a ponytail, smiling sweetly at him. She walked up to him and began to teasingly circle round him.  
"Oh, Jessica," he gave her a smile and she stopped circling. "I was wondering if you could look into the girl's room to see if the new senior was in there."  
"Is that all?" she made a pouting face, but then perked up with an idea. Sage inwardly groaned as he realized what that meant. "I'll do it if you take me out on a date."  
"Aw, come on, Jessica. That's a little much for just looking in the bathroom." She stopped him with a raised finger.  
"Then why don't you do it yourself?" She crossed her arms and turned away from him in an arrogant manner. "Why do you want to find her anyway?"  
Sage looked over her head towards Rowen, who merely smirked and entered the men's room. 'Good luck with this one,' the archer thought at him.  
Sage sighed, "Would you do it for a kiss instead?"  
That caught her attention. "Really?!"  
"Uh, sure," he nervously shifted his weight. 'I'm such an idiot.' He looked her directly in the eye. This had to be done; regrets could come later. "I'll give you a kiss on the cheek for every bathroom you check for me. How's that?"  
"That's a done deal!" She bolted into the girls' room, leaving him alone to grasp the situation he'd created. No more than five seconds had passed before she came running out of the room. "Not in there!" She grabbed Sage's arm and began to drag him off towards the other set of restrooms. "That's one kiss you owe me!"  
'Rowen? Where the heck are you? I need a hand!' he frantically thought.  
'I'm coming. Sheesh. It's your own fault you know.'  
'You can remind me of my stupidity later, just hurry up; we're already at the next bathroom.' As soon as he'd finished the transmission, she was already heading into the lavatory. Suddenly he heard a different door close. He looked up just in time to see Kurari stride around the corner and out of sight. He started after her, but a hand grabbed his arm.  
"Sage, where are you going? You owe me two kisses now."  
"Yeah. I just saw her going around the corner. Here," he bent down and kissed each cheek. "Thanks for the help."  
She giggled happily. "Look me up next time you need another favor."  
"Right." He watched to make sure Jessica was off before he headed in the direction Kurari went. 'Rowen, I just saw Kurari.'  
'Okay, I'll be right there.'  
Sage cautiously peered around the corner into the other hallway. He could see her at a locker, pulling out her belongings. Rowen came up behind him. With a nod they began to inch closer to the corner.  
Suddenly the door behind them opened. Sage stood upright and pretended to nod to something Rowen had 'said.' They didn't want people thinking they were sneaking around school, which is exactly what they were doing. What surprised the blond was to see Ryo come walking out of the door. "Rowen, it's Ryo."  
"Hey, Ryo!" Rowen called out. Ryo acted like he didn't see them as he began to walk in the other direction. Rowen gave Sage a wry look before chasing off after Ryo. "Hey!" He grabbed hold of Ryo's shoulder and spun him around. "What's the matter with you, Ryo?"  
Ryo stared blankly at Rowen for a moment. The archer could see the tiger blue eyes were dazed and unfocused. He blinked. "Rowen?"  
"Yeah, what's wrong? What happened to you?"  
"Nothing. Nothing happened."  
Sage came up behind them. "Hey, that's the same stairway Kurari came out of. Were you up on the roof with her?"  
"Yeah, but nothing happened."  
"Nothing? What do you mean nothing? We were all supposed to meet beneath the cherry tree to go confront her." Rowen stared at him. "What's the matter with you anyway?" he repeated, concern dripping from his voice.  
"Nothing's wrong." Ryo was coming back into full consciousness now, and he was getting irritated. "I saw her after class and decided to follow her to the roof. She wouldn't answer my questions so we dropped it. That's all!" He was nearly shouting now, and they could hear a few teachers behind the classroom doors getting annoyed.  
"All right, all right. Calm down here," Sage intervened, stepping between the two with his hands raised. "We shouldn't talk about this here." He motioned towards the classrooms. "Why don't we all just save it for when we get back to the mansion?"  
"Fine by me," Rowen sighed. "I'll let Cye and Kento know."  
"The warlords are at the mansion," Ryo quietly added.  
"What?!"  
"I guess we'll be talking about a lot after school."  
"Yeah," Sage exasperated. "Guess so."  
  
A/N- ~Sorry about the long wait; I had an extremely bad case of writer's block. I just hope the length made up for it. I hate to say this, but I'm not going to post the next chapter until I get at least ten more reviews (no more than two reviews from the same person please). Otherwise, it won't be up until late June or even July! I'm really sorry. I hate it when other authors do this, but now I'm doing it too, so I'm a stupid hypocrite. I just feel like I'm losing my fluency, and I'd really like to know how people are feeling about this story. I know I promised to explain the armor history, but this is the slow part, and I always have trouble sitting myself down to write this kind of stuff. As soon as things speed up, it'll be easier, I hope. Anyway, please let me know what you all like and dislike. Critical feedback please! 


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